The bigger the tyre brand, the more important marketing becomes in order to communicate its values and its worth. With this in mind, the “marketing” tag collates all the latest marketing-related news and analysis into a single place. This reverse-chronological list of thousands of articles is your go-to source of tyre industry, marketing-related news and information.
Exide has launched a new range of high-performance batteries, which it says benefit from Exmet technology, a feature designed to boost engine starting power and battery life.
The X-tra EXpanded METal technology means the battery contains grids of lead, calcium and tin alloys which are said to enhance starting power by as much as 30 per cent. In addition Exide says it produces lower water consumption, eliminating the need for topping-up.
Euro Car Parts has released its new Porsche catalogue for 2005/06 packed with high performance exhaust systems and accessories from Original Equipment Manufacturer Dansk.
Dansk manufacture for the whole Porsche range, including the 356, 912, 914, 911, 964, 993, 996, 924, Boxster and Cayenne models. According to Euro Car Parts, the famous Dansk engineering produces the distinctive Porsche sound that owners demand.
Continental has appointed Mike Nyren as its truck and remould brand manager. In his new role Mr Nyren will be responsible for the development and implementation of strategies for the Uniroyal and Semperit truck tyre brands.
Nyren comes to Conti from Daimler Chrysler, where he worked as marketing executive for the commercial vehicles business. Talking about his recent appointment he said: “I am really looking forward to my new role, especially working at Continental which is renowned for its high standards of engineering and product quality.”
In tyre circles the Kleber brand is a well-known name. And in mature European markets like France and Germany, the tyre is likely to be amongst the top ten brands that dealers call on. But what about the UK and the unique challenges that this market presents? With a new product set to be released in the early part of 2006, Tyres & Accessories took the opportunity to catch up with Kleber’s UK brand manager, Dominic Clark.
Trend Tracker Limited, the UK automotive research, consultancy and training firm established in 2004, has formed an exclusive alliance with German-based automotive aftermarket consultancy Wolk & Partner Car Consult GmbH.
This alliance, says the firm, will result in UK suppliers benefiting from: Access to market expertise on the German aftermarket; the availability of English-language reports on the German aftermarket; and the introduction of a range of web-based tools only previously available to companies in Germany.
Sapphire Energy Recovery is to open a new tyre processing site at South Trafford park near Manchester. The facility is set to be operational by January 2006 and will serve the surrounding and near-by conurbations. The new plant will begin processing 25,000 tonnes annually with the capacity to increase up to 50,000 tonnes.
“This latest development is an excellent opportunity to serve our customers where the tyres are. This way our customers can spend more time on the road collecting tyres rather than coming to us,” said marketing manager Ryan Mifflin, adding: “The new site will be a bespoke plant to serve tyre needs. It follows our strategy of putting a site in every major city in Britain.”
Chris Kisby joins Hi-Q, the Goodyear Dunlop retail network, from his position as key account director within the company’s consumer business unit, where he has worked for three years. During this time, Mr Kisby focused on key accounts such as Kwik Fit Europe, ATS and Hi-Q Retail.
Yokohama Rubber has been appointed as the official tyre supplier to the World Touring Car Championship. The manufacturer will replace Michelin for the 2006 season.
The company will also supply the control tyre for the first FIA European Touring Car Cup to be held this October at the Vallelunga circuit in Italy.
TVS Tyres is set to increase its tyre exports. The Indian company, which has just launched seven new tyres into the market, expects exports to account for 40 per cent of its total turnover. It is also planning to increase its two wheeler tyre production by 15 per cent.
“At present our exports, of solid tyres only, contribute 15 percent to the total turnover. We have already established our presence in Europe, West Asia and Africa and are proceeding to the US and neighbouring countries,” said S Balasubramanian, VP, marketing of the company.
SmarTire Systems Inc has agreed a major financing programme with Cornell Capital Partners LP that has resulted in net proceeds of $11 million plus a $160 million standby equity distribution agreement. According to the company the funds will be used to expand the company’s business strategy beyond tyre pressure monitoring and into the field of wireless sensing and control applications.
A national survey has found that many motorists wrongly believe they have to take their car to a manufacturer’s franchised dealership for servicing. Hi-Q conducted a nation-wide survey of over 400 motorists to question just what people understand about their warranty.
Only 30 per cent of people believed their warranty would be valid if they took their car to a garage other than the manufacturer’s dealer. 38 per cent believed their warranty would be broken if they took the car to an alternative independent garage and 32 per cent didn’t know either way.
It’s official: lead balancing weights are no longer allowed to be used on passenger cars or light trucks. Although there is much talk about the possible negative impact of the end-of-life vehicle directive, today tyre businesses across Europe seem to have adapted to the new situation without any major difficulties. However, the new market conditions have also brought consequences for manufacturers and suppliers. As all the parties involved get up to speed, what has to be taken into account when changing from lead balancing weights to alternative materials? Tyres & Accessories examines the effects of this legislation and the steps that need to be taken by companies across the continent.
By the time you read this article, European directive 2000/53/EC will have come fully into force. This regulation, more commonly known as the end of life vehicle (ELV) directive, will have a profound effect on the tyre trade – banning the sale of lead balancing weights. But is the trade ready? Tyres & Accessories spoke to representatives from weight manufacturers Trax and Remog in order to find out more.
Toyo Tire & Rubber Co Ltd is to reorganise its European sales structure by establishing two companies – Toyo Tyre (UK) Ltd in the UK and Toyo Tire Benelux BV in the Netherlands. The new companies will be subsidiaries of Toyo Tire Europe GmbH (TTE) which itself has only been in operation since January 2005.
Dunlop Motorsport has confirmed that is has signed a deal with EERC (European Endurance Racing Club). The agreement will see the manufacturer act as sole tyre supplier to the Britcar and Production S1 series including the Willhire 5 HR and Silverstone 24 hour events until 2008. In addition the Birmingham based Motorsport operation is committing to support the championship with team incentives and marketing activities. Dunlop is the sole tyre supplier and has been involved with the championship since its inception.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.
